Journal of Information Technology Education 

About: Journal of Information Technology Education is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Educational technology & Information system. It has an ISSN identifier of 1539-3585. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 417 publications have been published receiving 11141 citations.

The Delphi Method for Graduate Research

Abstract: Introduction It continues to be an exciting time to be a researcher in the information systems discipline; there seems to be a plethora of interesting and pressing research topics suitable for research at the masters or PhD level. Researchers may want to look forward to see what will be the key information systems issues in a wireless world, the ethical dilemmas in social network analysis, and the lessons early adopters learn. Practitioners may be interested in what others think about the strengths and weaknesses of an existing information system, or the effectiveness of a newly implemented information system. The Delphi method can help to uncover data in these research directions. The Delphi method is an iterative process used to collect and distill the judgments of experts using a series of questionnaires interspersed with feedback. The questionnaires are designed to focus on problems, opportunities, solutions, or forecasts. Each subsequent questionnaire is developed based on the results of the previous questionnaire. The process stops when the research question is answered: for example, when consensus is reached, theoretical saturation is achieved, or when sufficient information has been exchanged. The Delphi method has its origins in the American business community, and has since been widely accepted throughout the world in many industry sectors including health care, defense, business, education, information technology, transportation and engineering. The Delphi method's flexibility is evident in how it has been used. It is a method for structuring a group communication process to facilitate group problem solving and to structure models (Linstone & Turloff, 1975). The method can also be used as a judgment, decision-aiding or forecasting tool (Rowe & Wright, 1999), and can be applied to program planning and administration (Delbeq, Van de Ven, & Gustafson, 1975). The Delphi method can be used when there is incomplete knowledge about a problem or phenomena (Adler & Ziglio, 1996; Delbeq et al., 1975). The method can be applied to problems that do not lend themselves to precise analytical techniques but rather could benefit from the subjective judgments of individuals on a collective basis (Adler & Ziglio, 1996) and to focus their collective human intelligence on the problem at hand (Linstone & Turloff, 1975). Also, the Delphi is used to investigate what does not yet exist (Czinkota & Ronkainen, 1997; Halal, Kull, & Leffmann, 1997; Skulmoski & Hartman 2002). The Delphi method is a mature and a very adaptable research method used in many research arenas by researchers across the globe. To better understand its diversity in application, one needs to consider the origins of the Delphi method. The Classical Delphi The original Delphi method was developed by Norman Dalkey of the RAND Corporation in the 1950's for a U.S. sponsored military project. Dalkey states that the goal of the project was "to solicit expert opinion to the selection, from the point of view of a Soviet strategic planner, of an optimal U.S. industrial target system and to the estimation of the number of A-bombs required to reduce the munitions output by a prescribed amount," (Dalkey & Helmer, 1963, p. 458). Rowe and Wright (1999) characterize the classical Delphi method by four key features: 1. Anonymity of Delphi participants: allows the participants to freely express their opinions without undue social pressures to conform from others in the group. Decisions are evaluated on their merit, rather than who has proposed the idea. 2. Iteration: allows the participants to refine their views in light of the progress of the group's work from round to round. 3. Controlled feedback: informs the participants of the other participant's perspectives, and provides the opportunity for Delphi participants to clarify or change their views. 4. Statistical aggregation of group response: allows for a quantitative analysis and interpretation of data. …

Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning: A Comparative Study

Abstract: In search of better, more cost effective ways to deliver instruction and training, universities and corporations have expanded their use of e-learning. Although several studies suggest that online education and blended instruction (a “blend” of online and traditional approaches) can be as effective as traditional classroom models, few studies have focused on learner satisfaction with online instruction, particularly in the transition to online learning from traditional approaches. This study examines students’ perceptions of integrating online components in two undergraduate business courses where students completed online learning modules prior to class discussion. The results indicate that participants in an elective course rated the online modules significantly better than those in a required course. Overall, participants in the elective course rated the online modules marginally positive while those in the required course rated them marginally negative. These outcomes suggest that instructors should be selective in the way they integrate online units into traditional, classroom-delivered courses. This integration should be carefully planned based on learner characteristics, course content, and the learning context. For most participants of the study (83 percent), this was their first experience completing an online learning activity or module. In addition, the largest dissatisfaction factor reported among the participants was the time required to complete the online modules. Future research is encouraged to explore: (1) how previous experience with technology and online learning affects students’ attitudes towards and success with e-learning; and (2) the effects of interspersing online units that are considerably shorter in length into the traditional classroom model. This additional research can provide greater insight into which factors promote e-learning success.

An Overview of Current Research on Automated Essay Grading

Abstract: Introduction Assessment is considered to play a central role in the educational process. The interest in the development and in use of Computer-based Assessment Systems (CbAS) has grown exponentially in the last few years, due both to the increase of the number of students attending universities and to the possibilities provided by e-learning approaches to asynchronous and ubiquitous education. According to our findings (Valenti, Cucchiarelli, & Panti., 2002) more than forty commercial CbAS are currently available on the market. Most of those tools are based on the use of the so-called objective-type questions: i.e. multiple choice, multiple answer, short answer, selection/association, hot spot and visual identification (Valenti et al., 2000). Most researchers in this field agree on the thesis that some aspects of complex achievement are difficult to measure using objective-type questions. Learning outcomes implying the ability to recall, organize and integrate ideas, the ability to express oneself in writing and the ability to supply merely than identify interpretation and application of data, require less structuring of response than that imposed by objective test items (Gronlund, 1985). It is in the measurement of such outcomes, corresponding to the higher levels of the Bloom's (1956) taxonomy (namely evaluation and synthesis) that the essay question serves its most useful purpose. One of the difficulties of grading essays is the subjectivity, or at least the perceived subjectivity, of the grading process. Many researchers claim that the subjective nature of essay assessment leads to variation in grades awarded by different human assessors, which is perceived by students as a great source of unfairness. Furthermore essay grading is a time consuming activity. According to Mason (2002), about 30% of teachers' time in Great Britain is devoted to marking. "So, if we want to free up that 30% (worth 3 billion UK Pounds/year to the taxpayer by the way) then we must find an effective way, that teacher will trust, to mark essays and short text responses." This issue may be faced through the adoption of automated assessment tools for essays. A system for automated assessment would at least be consistent in the way it scores essays, and enormous cost and time savings could be achieved if the system can be shown to grade essays within the range of those awarded by human assessor. Furthermore, according to Hearst (2000) using computers to increase our understanding of the textual features and cognitive skills involved in the creation and in the comprehension of written texts, will provide a number of benefits to the educational community. In fact "it will help us develop more effective instructional materials for improving reading, writing and other communication abilities. It will also help us develop more effective technologies such as search engines and question answering systems for providing universal access to electronic information." Purpose of this paper is to present a survey of current approaches to the automated assessment of free text answers. Thus, in the next section, the following systems will be discussed: Project Essay Grade (PEG), Intelligent Essay Assessor (IEA), Educational Testing service I, Electronic Essay Rater (E-Rater), C-Rater, BETSY, Intelligent Essay Marking System, SEAR, Paperless School free text Marking Engine and Automark. All these systems are currently available either as commercial systems or as the result of research in this field. For each system, the general structure and the performance claimed by the authors are presented. In the last section, we will try to compare these systems and to identify issues that may foster the research in the field. Current Tools for Automated Essay Grading Project Essay Grade (PEG) PEG is one of the earliest and longest-lived implementations of automated essay grading. It was developed by Page and others (Hearst, 2000; Page, 1994, 1996) and primarily relies on style analysis of surface linguistic features of a block of text. …

Computer Anxiety in E-Learning: The Effect of Computer Self-Efficacy.

Abstract: It has been reported that as many as fifty percent of adults, including first-year University students, have some sort of computer-related phobia This report demonstrates that the use of computers still has some unpleasant side effects despite the Internet boom in the past decade Past research shows that computer anxiety influences how users perceive ease of use of an information system However, few have investigated the role of computer self-efficacy in mediating computer anxieties on perceived ease of use Therefore, in this study we base our contribution on the variables of computer self-efficacy and computer anxieties These two variables are believed to impact an individual’s use of computers and performance for computer-based tasks Anxiety has been argued to impact computer-based learning by affecting levels of self-efficacy anchored in social learning and outcome expectation theories Self-efficacy is determined by levels of anxiety such that reduced anxiety and increased experience improves performance indirectly by increasing levels of self-efficacy In this study, we investigate the influence of computer anxiety on perceived ease of use and the mediating effect of computer self-efficacy on this relationship, within an e-learning context A survey methodology approach was used in this study using 18 items for 3 constructs (perceived ease of use, anxiety, and self-efficacy) Survey data from 645 university students were analyzed The psychometric properties of the items and constructs were validated followed by the assessment of mediation of computer self efficacy Results from the use of a learning management system indicate that computer self-efficacy plays a significant role in mediating the impact of anxiety on perceived ease of use This role is observed by computer selfefficacy (1) reducing the strength and significance of the impact of anxiety on perceived ease of use and (2) having a strong and significant relationship with computer anxiety The findings demonstrate the importance of self-efficacy as a mediator between computer anxiety and perceived ease of use of a learning management system (LMS) With the continuous development of richer and more integrated interfaces, anxieties about learning to use the new interface and executing tasks effectively becomes of primary importance Limitations and suggestions for future research are elaborated

Critical Skills of IS Professionals: A Model for Curriculum Development

Abstract: Introduction Revolutionary changes are occurring across the United States and throughout the world in information systems technology. "The number of workers in the computer and software industries has almost tripled in the past decade." (Freeman and Aspray, 1999. p. 35.) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for the period 2000-2010, of the 10 fastest growing occupations, computer-related occupations occupy eight of the top ten positions: software applications engineers, support specialists, systems software engineers, network and systems administrators, network systems and data communications analysts, desktop publishers, database administrators, and systems analysts. (BLS, Table 3b). Computer and data processing services is projected as the industry with the fastest wage and salary employment growth (BLS, Table 3a). Every sector of the American economy employs information systems workers in every geographic region of the country. This projected growth in information systems related occupations is reflected in the need for well-educated IS professionals. Currently, the demand for trained professionals far exceeds qualified applicants. The State of Illinois Citizens Agenda (1999) specifically calls for an increase in the number of graduates with skills and knowledge needed to meet new or emerging occupational demand. The State of Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Workforce Issues Paper (1999) calls for the number of baccalaureate computer and information science graduates from public universities to be doubled by 2006. Information Technology Association of America (2000) reports that "... employers will create a demand in this country for roughly 1.6 million IT workers this year. With demand for appropriately skilled people far exceeding supply, half of these positions--843,328--will likely go unfilled. In a total U.S. IT workforce of 10 million, that shortfall means one job in every dozen will be vacant." (Information Technology Association of America, [paragraph]1, 2000). These circumstances create an atmosphere whereby Information Systems programs need to be reevaluated and changed to meet the demand. Educators have the overwhelming responsibility of designing a curriculum that prepares future IS professionals for this dynamic field. Researchers have struggled with the issue of implementing curriculum models in various ways. Kim, Shim, and Yoon (1999) asked IS practitioners and educators to rate the importance of key IS issues. They found that practitioners perceive managerial and organizational issues as more important than educators do. They also indicate that educators consider emerging issues such as e-commerce, more important than practitioners do. They recommended that educators and practitioners should have a shared vision of key IS issues and collaborate on curriculum development. Lightfoot (1999) describes the dilemma of IS curriculum design as a problem of balance between the fundamentals of IS and the current "fad" applications. He suggests that students and businesses (employers) have short-term perspectives, while educators have a long-term perspective; legislators (public) are somewhere in between. He recommends modifying curriculum to satisfy the goals of the stakeholders. Srinivasan, Guan, and Wright (1999) describe a process of developing a new curriculum working with corporate partners. They also suggest using the corporate partners as "clinical": faculty to help teach the courses. Maier, Clark, and Remington (1998) reviewed the content of job advertisements over a 15-year period to explore the changes in the MIS job market and found a growing diversity in the MIS job market. Hingorani and Sankar (1995) surveyed perceptions of graduates' skills and compared the results with skills required in industry. They found that students were aware of the needs of industry. They also made specific recommendations for their specific program. The foundation of the curricula revision process is to review the literature related to expected workplace skills and knowledge for IS professionals. …